The Wednesday Hodgepodge #72

I hope you are all having a good week. It's Wednesday, which means it's time to join in with the Wednesday Hodgepodge with Joyce who blogs at From This Side of the Pond! Each week there are 6 questions, we answer and then link up. Simple!

1. ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL? On a scale of 1-10 how much of a fan are you? (10 is never miss a game and 1 is I'm just here for the snacks). Who's your team? If you're playing along today, but live outside the US feel free to sub your feelings about futbol for the more American sport of football.

I am going to be talking about futbol or soccer as it's sometimes called. Here in England it's just called football, it's the one with the round ball. I am a pretty big fan. I would say an 8 out of 10. As I am typing this, I have football on the TV. Birmingham V Wolves. I don't really have much interest in either team but it is a good match. My family's team is Newcastle United but I have found myself supporting our more local team, Hull who moved up to the Premier League this season. They were not expected to be doing as well as they are. I hope it lasts until the end of the season but there's a long way to go.

2. What's something you currently have a game plan for managing?

At the moment, I’ve got a bit of a game plan for getting organised for autumn. Sorting out the house, getting back into a proper routine after summer, sticking to the meal plan and making a list of things I want to get done before Christmas suddenly appears out of nowhere! I’m trying to tackle things one at a time rather than making a massive list and then getting overwhelmed by it. There are little jobs around the house that I’ve been putting off, things that need cleaning or sorting, cupboards that could do with a good clear out and hopefully, by the time this goes live, I have had a big sort out in the garden, weeding and pulling up the plants which didn't survive the heatwaves!

3. Do you like chicken wings? Hot, mild, or some other flavor? What's a must have food for you on a tailgate menu? I know tailgating isn't as big of a thing outside the US of A as it is inside the US of A, but you can also answer the question this way-what's a must have food for you at a sporting event viewing party?

I like the idea of chicken wings but I don’t like eating anything off the bone! Chicken wings always look so good, especially when they’re covered in a nice sauce but I find eating them far too messy. I’d much rather have chicken without the bone so I can just get stuck in without worrying about sauce all over my hands. If I was choosing a flavour I’d go for something mild rather than really hot.

I’d never really thought about tailgating before, I actually had to Google what a tailgate event was because it’s not really a thing here in England. I’ve seen it on American TV and in films but I never really understood what everyone was doing. Now I know, it actually sounds like such a fun way to spend the day before a sporting event. We don’t really have anything quite like that here. Whenever we go to a sporting event, we usually get the train or bus because there’s no point driving when you're heading somewhere with thousands of other people. Finding somewhere to park would probably be a challenge.

If we were watching sport at home, I’d definitely want pizza and probably a take-away one as watching sport seems like a whole event, so it needs to be celebrated. There would also have to be crisps, dips and plenty of little finger foods that you can grab along with fizzy drinks like Coca-Cola.

4. Teams typically have strict playbooks they follow. What is one unwritten rule or piece of advice in your 'life playbook' you think everyone should know?

One unwritten rule in my life playbook that I think everyone should know is: never pass up the chance to go pee! If you’re leaving the house, go before you leave. If you’re out somewhere and you’re thinking, you probably don’t need to go, go anyway! If someone says, Do you want to use the toilet before we set off? The answer is always yes! There is nothing worse than getting halfway somewhere and suddenly thinking, why didn’t I go before we left? My advice is simple: always go before you leave!

5. This is the week we remember and mourn all that was lost and changed on September 11, 2001. I always include a spot for bloggers to share anything they'd like to share about 9/11. Share as much or as little as you like.

It's crazy to think 9/11 was 25 years ago! It’s one of those moments where you can always remember where you were when you heard the news. I was at home when my mum rang me and told me to put the TV on. The news was on all the main channels, which only happened when something big was happening. At first, it didn't seem real. I remember watching and thinking it looked like something that belonged in a movie. I think that's one of the reasons 9/11 has stayed in people's memories for so long. It wasn't just the terrible events themselves but the way the whole world seemed to stop and watch the news together. Even though I was in England and thousands of miles away, it was one of those days when the whole world seemed to come together. Ordinary people had been going about their day, going to work and doing all the normal things and their lives had changed forever. It’s a reminder that sometimes a single day can change history in a way that none of us could have imagined when we woke up that morning.

6.Insert your own random thought here.

Sunday's are almost my favourite day of the week! On Sunday I slept until gone 9am, scrolled on my phone for a bit, had a shower, did some blog commenting and started writing this blog post all while watching some football. Stu made us a nice lunch, just sandwiches and a cup of tea but food always tastes better when someone else makes it. I spent the afternoon watching F1 and started rewatching the Harry Potter movies. It was a lovely, relaxing day, just what Sunday's are meant to be!